Craig Biggio opened the game with a long fly out to the left field gap. Chris Burke learned from his elder, hit the same fly, only he pulled it over the left field fence. His next atbat, he bunted for a single, sparking a 2 run inning, and was on his way to a 4-4 with a walk and 5 runs scored night.
Meanwhile, Andy Pettitte made the Cubs look feeble. They got a double in the 1st and another in the 2nd but after that it was a procession of grounders to short.
Early on the game looked like arena football. The Cubs were bouncing throws off the brick backstop, Bruntlett, playing 3rd, bounced one off the bricks behind 1st, Everett got Murton?s hand as he slid in to break up the dp, Biggio flipped a ball out his hand trying to pivot the dp, Pettitte took a ricochet off his leg. But then they settled down and the Astros continued their hitting barrage from Sunday.
Berkman doubled in two in the 5th, Wilson singled home Burke in the 7th, even though Burke really had been thrown out trying to steal second for what would have been the 3rd out. Ump called him safe. Did you know they replay controversial calls at Wrigley?
Pettitte's only blemish was a solo homer in his last inning, the 7th.
In the 9th, Berkman singled in his 3rd RBI and Wilson also picked up his 3rd RBI of the night and the Astros were up 9-1.
Wheeler worked out of a bases loaded 1 out jam in the 8th, but Lidge didn?t do as well in the 9th. He started the inning striking out 2, but Mabry blooped a double into shallow left that Wilson skidded into foul territory to field and the arena football game was back. Couple more singles, couple wild pitches, Garner and Hickey visibly counting the pitches, but the Cubs only scored the one more run.
Oswalt returns from the dl vs The Sniveler, 7:05.
